Like many, my positive experience with the mark 3 so far is in part due to some of the shortfalls felt by cameras like the 5D mark 2 or the 7D. Both the 5D2 and the 7D had their shortfalls. I feel the 5D3 is much like a merger of the positive sides of both of these cameras.

Fast forward to the 2nd March 2012 and Canon announce the 5D Mk III. With 7 years of history behind this single unit the announcement came on the back of a 25th anniversary for Canon's first camera in the EOS series, the film-based EOS 650.

Is the 5D Mk III really worth the extra £1k?

higher AF points compared to the previous model

Price; is it really worth it

Plus, it saves all of the single shots used as well as the final HDR image. All in all, Canon's version of HDR "is much more useful for serious photographers." Unlike the Nikon D800, the Canon Mark III lacks a pop-up flash.

Strong 22.3-megapixel resolution; Extraordinary low-light capability; Healthy 6 fps burst rate; Outstanding autofocus; Very intuitive to use; Dual CF/SD card slots

Less sharpness and detail than Nikon D800; Autofocus must be triggered manually in movie mode

The black autofocus points problem is supposed to be fixed in a future firmware release, basically they flash black instead of red which is hard (impossible) to see in low light.

Fast / Accurate Auto-Focus; High ISO Performance; Quiet

Black Autofocus Points

A photographic tour-de-force – if you can justify the cost it'll be hard to resist

The first thing I tested was the 61 points focusing system. Some said it is not any better than 7D 19 points focusing system, I would say that they are wrong! I own a 7D, and I did side by side test, 5D Mark III is certainly better and faster than 7D.

Easy To Use; Fast / Accurate Auto-Focus; Fast Shutter Speed; Good Image Quality; High ISO Performance; Large Clear LCD; Quiet; Strong build

No Build-in Flash Trigger; Poor focus in low light

This 22 megapixel full frame camera is the upgrade of the revered MkII. While there are not many extra pixels the processor, ISO range, burst rate, viewfinder coverage and LCD have all been improved. Auto focus is now by 61 points instead of 9.

Way overpriced, but you do get what you pay for. For those of you who are turned off by the price, it is a full frame 35 mm DSLR, not a partial frame like most of the rest of the cameras out there.

Everything

Price

5D owners may well have felt that the MkII didn't really do enough to grab their attention because it didn't address enough of its older sibling's deficiencies. The increased resolution was attractive, but again not enough on its own.